Gallery: 33rd anniversary of death of Flint native Terry Furlow, Michigan State and NBA player

FLINT, MI – A tragic event in Flint's athletic history transpired 33 years ago when 25-year-old NBA player Terry Furlow decided to put the key in the ignition of his 1979 Mercedes Benz.

After a long night of partying in Cleveland for his former Cavaliers teammate Clarence "Foots" Walker, Furlow decided to take a trip alone in the wee hours of May 23, 1980. That decision resulted in a car crash.

One of the city's greatest basketball stars died instantly after hitting a utility pole head-on at 3:10 a.m. once his car left I-71 in Linndale, Ohio – not far from Walker's festivities. According to previous reports, three open beer cans were found in Furlow's car and the autopsy later revealed traces of cocaine and the tranquilizer Valium in his bloodstream.

Furlow's untimely demise doesn't diminish the impact that he left upon those closest to him. That's why, more than three decades later, Furlow's presence is still felt in his hometown. In honor of the 33rd year anniversary of his death, he's still celebrated.

In front of his tombstone at Flint's Gracelawn Cemetary, three mixed floral arrangements are in place to commemorate "The Trigger," who was best known for his deadly jumper. Furlow would be 58 if he were still alive today. He rests beside his mother, Wynell, who died in 2007.

"The legacy that Terry left here for not only himself but for the community is that you can come out of here if you work hard enough," said Terry's younger brother, Earl Furlow. "A lot of the young guys around here, even though it's been a long time, they still know who he is. The legacy around here is not dead by far and a lot of people still talk about Terry."

Furlow's family members still live in the small, blue home on Baker Street, where NBA legends Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and many others paid visits to offer condolences after the funeral service.

Relatives still closely guard Furlow's antique basketball memorabilia, especially the wrinkled No. 25 Michigan State jersey from his record-setting senior year in 1976. And the framed Philadelphia 76ers team picture from his 1976-77 rookie season with Dr. J, Darryl Dawkins, Doug Collins, Mike Dunleavy, World B. Free, and Kobe's father Joe "Jellybean" Bryant on the roster. All the rest of his awards and pictures are boxed in the attic of his old upstairs room that he once shared with Earl as a teenager.

Revisiting Furlow's death is still rough for some folks, though. His success enhanced the lives of so many around him because he was a giving person. He spent only four seasons in the NBA, but he made sure those within his circle were taken care of.

"When he got to the NBA, there was a never a need that I had that he wasn't there for me," said Benny White, Furlow's MSU teammate who now coaches at Eastern Michigan. "I stayed true to my word and he stayed to his."

White and Furlow shared laughter and fallouts while growing together but their bond was unbreakable. The two even roomed together as freshmen at MSU where Hill witnessed Furlow break multiple scoring records, including the school's top two single-game scoring efforts with 50 and 48 points in back-to-back games in 1976 with no three-point line – which still stands.

"Terry and I had a unique relationship," White said. "We both needed each other as much as we may not have known it. Terry was fiery and I was calm, so I think we balanced each other well. Then on the basketball court we complemented each other because he could shoot it and I could pass it."

Like many, Jerry Buterakos grew up idolizing Furlow as well. They first connected at Dave Bing's basketball camp in the Poconos Mountains of Pennsylvania, where Furlow worked as a camp counselor. From then on, Terry allowed Jerry to follow him during the summers for workouts. For four hours a day, three days a week, Buterakos watched Furlow nearly suffocate while shooting hundreds of jumpers in a small, hotbox gym at the Metropolitan Building on North Saginaw Street in Flint.

"There were window,s but you couldn't open them but Terry would do shooting drills and his stamina was unreal that I couldn't keep up. Terry was a big brother to me," remembered Buterakos, who prepared for his senior at Flint Holy Rosary the summer of 1974 as Furlow went into his junior year at MSU. "That was his transformation from just being one guy on the team to being a scorer. He went to the point of exhaustion. The man could shoot."

Jerry's father Peter Buterakos was Gracelawn Funeral Home's owner at the time of Furlow's death. Peter also took a liking to Furlow and formed a close bond with the fierce talent. When riders pass by Gracelawn and spot "FURLOW" near the big bush off the road, thank Peter. It was done on purpose.

"When Terry passed away, my dad made sure that Terry was laid to rest at the front of the cemetery so that when people went down Saginaw Street they could see his name," Jerry said. "He made it a point to do that because he didn't want him to be forgotten."